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Contact: Bliss Green-Morehead, publicaffairs@culture.nyc.gov

MATERIALS FOR THE ARTS PRESENTS “TO SHED NEW LIGHT” BY ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE CECILIA ANDRÉ  

Photos of the installation are available here.

New York, NY – Materials for the Arts (MFTA), a program of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, is pleased to present To Shed New Light, a solo exhibition of multi-media works by artist Cecilia André and curated by Mina Warchavchik Hugerth, on view now through March 10, 2023 at the Materials for the Arts Gallery. André’s residency at MFTA begin in October of 2022. As an MFTA Artist-in-Residence, André had unlimited access to the vast array of donated supplies in MFTA’s 35,000 square-foot-warehouse to use in her solo exhibition.

With To Shed New Light, Cecilia André transforms MFTA’s gallery into an immersive, illuminated dreamscape of colorful paintings and assemblage works. While wandering through the aisles of the MFTA warehouse, the artist became captivated by the objects, from tiny seashells to decorative vases, and the stories to be told, creating a whimsical and imaginative exhibition where wire binding from spiral notebooks becomes a playful sculpture, thin straws appear like tall green grass shrouding a tiny figurine, and reams of bright green vinyl cascade from a lampshade in a work evoking a jellyfish. 

“Working at Materials for the Arts was a dream,” said Cecilia André, MFTA Artist-in-Residence. “It was incredible to work in an environment where reuse and upcycling materials was essential to the residency and not an afterthought. In addition to allowing myself to become lost in the warehouse’s objects, I was inspired to repurpose some of my older paintings to become a part of the exhibition, creating new perspective, dimension, and meaning to my previous works.”

“Cecilia André brought out the magic of reusing found objects to make art,” said John Cloud Kaiser, MFTA Gallery Director. “Her lovingly detailed assemblages of tiny toys, colored plastic, found containers and more offer a dynamic contrast to the giant panels of paintings wrapped in translucent fabric, glowing shelves of colored glowing sculptures, and her circular art collage paintings containing everything from jewelry, to embroideries, to natural materials.”

André’s solo show at MFTA is a part of her continued exploration of transparent materials, light, and reflections. The artist often examines the ways light cast through transparent objects can produce mesmerizing colorful shadows. In her curatorial statement, Mina Warchavchik Hugerth writes that “Cecilia André literally and figuratively sheds new light” with her work. “Each assemblage beckons closer inspection to reveal tiny details, stories meshed together by delicate interventions. Their complete installation suggests a step back to take it all in.”

To Shed New Light by Cecilia André is on view at Materials for the Arts on Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. This exhibition is free and open to the public. To learn more visit MFTA’s website.

About Cecilia André

Cecilia André is an artist from a family of Lebanese immigrants to Brazil who has lived and worked in New York City since 1991 where she studied at Pratt Institute and School of Visual Arts. Her work has been exhibited widely in Brazil and New York City including at the Queens Botanical Gardens, Plaxall Gallery, and the Museum of Modern Art in São Paulo. Recently André has worked creating light-capturing sculptures incorporating translucent pieces that filter sunlight to fill their environment with light and color.

About Materials for the Arts (MFTA)

A program of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, with support from the Department of Education and Friends of Materials for the Arts, MFTA is NYC’s largest reuse center supporting nonprofits with arts programming, public schools and city agencies. On average MFTA collects over 1.5 million pounds of supplies each year which it provides, free of charge, to its member organizations. MFTA offers a series of programs supported by its non-profit partner Friends of Materials for the Arts, including the MFTA Gallery, Third Thursday public events, and the MFTA Education Center. Learn more at www.materialsforthearts.org.

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